Fireworks, concert draw crowd

Roger Sanders of Worcester watches the Fourth of July fireworks Wednesday at Cristoforo Colombo Park in Worcester.

The unpredictable, soupy weather pattern of the past week took a wonderfully breezy break Wednesday night to allow the city's annual Independence Day celebration to go off without a hitch.

Crowds settled in early, quickly filling Cristoforo Colombo Park while the sun hung over Belmont Hill. Politicians and their challengers waded through the crowd, passing out balloons, cards and stickers. Restaurants brought their dining out to the sidewalk, and parking lots filled with revelers.

Eric Wells and Nancy Tivenan sat in their usual spot behind the fence along the third base line of the baseball field. Mr. Wells said it's the same spot they always pick; it allows a quick exit onto Shrewsbury Street after the fireworks display.

As the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra played, Mr. Wells said he comes because of his longtime friendship with the Levenson family — Harry Levenson founded the orchestra in 1951, and his son, Paul, is the symphony's executive director. Mr. Wells said it's the 12th or 13th summer in a row he has come to the park to soak in the festivities.

Richard and Cindy Qaglieri pulled up lawn chairs long before the sun went down, and said they enjoy both the music and the fireworks. Mr. Qaglieri said he remembered going to what was then called East Park when he was a boy; he said he remembered that the Independence Day celebration was tied in to a large festival held at the same time in the largely Italian neighborhood.

“There would be thousands and thousands of people here,” he said.

The times have changed, but it's still a nice night out in what Mr. Qaglieri called his “old stomping grounds.”

“It's got a nice little ambiance to it,” he said.

Lyza Ramos, 17, pulled up a chair close to the stage.

“What attracts me is the band,” she said. “I'm a musician myself. It's a perfect place to be with family.”

Her father, Milton Ramos, said his family is new to the city, recently moving from Springfield.

“In a lot of cities it's just fireworks,” Mr. Ramos said. “But here it's a whole show. It's more of a sense of community, people coming together. You can make a whole event out of it.”